I don’t want a ‘plain chocolate cupcake’. I want a phenomenal, rich, delectable, ‘better than sex’ chocolate cupcake. Milk chocolate? White chocolate? Dark chocolate? All of the the above. Not EVERY cupcake needs to have an unusual flavor or a quirky ingredient. There’s no reason that traditional has to mean boring. If I wanted a boring chocolate cupcake, I’d got to the store and buy a box mix and do it myself. I want the Cupcake
Project version.

This was my friend’s demand and I couldn’t let him down. I had to create a Better than Sex Cupcake that lived up to his hopes.

Were the Better Than Sex Cupcakes Better than Sex?

I offer you selected quotes from three tasters:

“Sex, what’s that?”

“Mmmmmmm… chocolate”

“It could be better that sex. I’ll have to go home and compare.” (I never got a report from this taster on which was better. I can only assume the cupcakes were better and the taster didn’t want to embarrass his lover.)

What Cocoa Powder and Chocolate Should I Use?

Although the text below is from my post on Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes, the same information applies. And, as noted above, I recommend using the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake as the cupcake recipe for the Better Than Sex Cupcakes.

Yes, using different cocoa powders will alter the taste of the cupcakes, but you really can’t go wrong – it’s all chocolate! If you’ve only ever tried one brand of cocoa powder, I suggest experimenting with some new ones to see which flavor profile you prefer.

I have about ten different cocoa powders in my pantry right now – including many of the ones on the list above – and I happily switch between them. The only one I would also mention is Cacao Barry for fans of really dark chocolate.

I’ve personally baked this recipe with a huge variety of chocolate and it’s all been great. So, if the only chocolate you have in your house is leftover chocolate chips from a batch of cookies, that’s fine. But, when I want something extra special and I’m willing to spend a little more money, I reach for chocolate with less sugar and a more complex flavor. A melted Patric Chocolate bar yielded my favorite version of these cupcakes to date. I also enjoy TCHO, Scharffen Berger, and often buy Callebaut discs since they are sold at the Whole Foods near my house.

Better Than Sex Cupcake Recipe

The chocolate cake recipe came from Chockylit’s cupcake blog. I am reprinting it below with my added step of mixing in chocolate chips. Chockylit points out that this recipe will make flat cupcakes, not domed ones. Do not try to overfill your cupcake liner. She recommend filling it 2/3 full. I changed the recipe to reflect the fact that I only filled mine about 1/2 way. (Update 6/213: I am leaving this recipe here because many of you love it. But, you’ll see in the comments that people have had problems with this recipe. If you are making this for the first time, I’d now suggest using my Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with 2/3 cups chocolate chips mixed in instead of the cupcake recipe below. You can still follow the instructions for the mousse, ganache, and white chocolate drizzle found below.)

3.5 oz of dark chocolate broken into small pieces (I used Patric chocolate)

1/3 C heavy cream

White Chocolate Drizzle Ingredients

2 ounces white chocolate.

Instructions

Cupcake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat butter until softened.

Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.

Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine.

Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 1/2 full.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Filling Instructions

To fill the cupcakes, use a small paring knife to cut a cone into the cupcake. Spoon or pipe (I found piping to be easier) chocolate mousse into the hole. Replace the top. Don't worry if the top of the cupcake doesn't look pretty any more, you are going to frost over it so no one will know the difference.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Instructions

Place the chocolate in a small glass bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just starts to boil.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted and integrated with the cream.

While it is still warm, spread a thin layer of it over the cupcakes. It will harden when it cools.

White Chocolate Drizzle Instructions

Melt white chocolate. You can do this on the stove, but I find it easier to do in the microwave. I do it for 20 seconds at a time. Stir after each round. When it is all melted, you are done. It should take about a minute.

Pour the melted chocolate into a plastic sandwich bag or a disposable pastry bag. Cut a very small hole at the tip of the bag and draw whatever kind of funky pattern you want onto your cupcakes!

I was lucky enough to sample this cupcake last night, and it was amazing … the chocolate cake was delicious, the chocolate mousse was divine, the chocolate ganache was decadent … all combined, it was out of this world.

Excellent job, Stef!

P.S. This may take the lead as my favorite Cupcake Project cupcake … but the Eggnog Latte Christmas Cupcake is still up there!

Thanks for the linky love goofball! So could you tell the difference with the ganache? I think the chocolate really does make a difference when it’s intense like this. I personally think this cupcake is the perfect alternative to a groom’s cake which is typically chocolate. And it’s exactly what the groom asked for! It’s a tuxedo cupcake~ Seems like pure genius to me~

Kimberly – Glad I got to bring some over. Thanks again for the cupcake tower!

Ran – At least it was close.

TW – My husband suggested the whole groom’s cake thing as well. It’s a great idea! I couldn’t tell the difference that much in the ganache. Maybe because it was such a thin layer. I was wishing that I had used it in the mousse, but I didn’t have enough.

Your cupcakes look awesome! I was wondering if I could cook them and and afterwards enter them to Cupcakes Spectacular, from (http://homemades.blogspot.com/)… I would of course name your blog and tell the recipe is yours, plus I would change it a little… Is that O.K?

Isa – I’d be so flattered if you made them! You should know that I already submitted them to cupcakes spectacular. However, if you are modifying them a bit, then I see nothing wrong with 2 Better Than Sex Cupcakes!

I’m not a chef. How do I get the filling in? Do I need to hollow out the inside of the cupcake? You said to cut a cone shaped piece out, but if you put it right back in, is there any room for the filling?

Amanada – I wondered the same thing the first time I used this technique. Oddly, the cone usually fits right back in even though you’ve filled the hole with mousse. Everything kinds squishes in there. If it doesn’t fit though, sometimes I cut the tip of the cone off. No one will every see what you have done because you are topping the whole thing with frosting. So in short, just cut a chunk of your cupcake out, fill, and replace the chunk.

I actually tried Chockylit’s chocolate cupcake recipe yesterday, but wasn’t satisfied with it. For me, it needed something more and after coming across your recipe today I am definitely ready to get back into the kitchen. These cupcakes sound so delicious and I can’t want to try the recipe out! I’ll leave another comment in a few days about how mine turned out.

Tried it using valrhona cocoa powder. Skipped the mousse & topping. Little bites of heaven. The cake recipe is excellent, moist, good texture. Almost like a lighter brownie. Can’t say how well they hold up b/c my batch didn’t make it past 12 hours!

Yikes!! I followed your recipe to the T today and I have never tasted anything so terrible. I hate to be rude but this is awful. First, the mousse is not the least decadent without sugar, it is so bitter. Second, the cupcakes fell making a huge crater when they were done, which by the way, I had to take them out 7 minutes early because they were beyond ruined. Then, to give them the benefit of the doubt my mom and I tried them but they tasted like sand! I was going to make these to take to my coworkers for Valentine’s day, but instead I just filled up the trash can.

I’m so sorry that you had such a bad experience with these. As you can see from the other comments, others have definitely enjoyed them. I wish I could have been there to help figure out what went wrong! One of my Twitter friends even made them a few weeks ago and loved them: http://twitter.com/debbieharry/statuses/1165927144 .

i made these in honor of my single valentines day, and let me say, i am very very glad i did! they are fantastic! i changed the recipe a bit though, added whiskey and cut down the milk, and threw in a few pecans. GREAT CUPCAKES!! happy valentines day 😉

love your blog! I’m also in St. Louis. I found it while searching for a chocolatey cupcake to make and bring over to a very sick friend in Springfield who could use some chocolate therapy. I’m sure his review will be glowing!

I’m hoping to make these for my Mum’s birthday coming up, but I’m not going to be in the country at the time. So here’s my question; can I make them and freeze them when I’m home or would I be better posting them? Or am I better making all together different cupcakes?

have you tried the Cupcake Genius baking pan from Avon. It bakes the cupcake with a hole in the center so you don’t have to cut it out. Check out my website at: http://www.youravon.com/cbishop The cupcake genius is $19.99

I made these today and had a similar experience to someone else that has posted – they cratered. Also all the chocolate chips ended up sinking to the bottom and the tops were crunchy. The flavor combination was still outstanding.

3 theories – my kitchen was way too warm; I added too much sugar by accident; I over-mixed.

Nothing is ever better than sex…and I mean nothing! I would hazzard a guess and say that there are a lot of sad overweight ladies and guys out there that maybe need to lay off the cupcakes and loose a few pounds and maybe…just mabye their partner will be more excited by them naked! Just keeping it real…

Anyway, I made these today and I have to say I was unfortunately disappointed. The batter is extremely tasty, but my cupcakes didn’t turn out that great. They severely fell in the middle and they really, really stick to the liners, making them difficult to eat. Judging by the praise though, I’m guessing I did something wrong. Any idea what that might be?

OMG. I was looking for a recipe for chocolate cupcakes for my friend’s birthday when I came across this recipe. I made the cupcakes this past Friday and everyone loved them. They turned out perfectly and were delicious. I needed to make more to bring into work for this same friends birthday but instead of cupcakes I went ahead and made a double layer cake out of it. OMG it was wonderful. I didn’t use the ganache though, I ended up making dark chocolate frosting instead but they were the best cupcakes and cake I’ve had in a LONG time. Thanks for posting this!

I want to make a cake instead of cupcakes from the same recipe. Do I need to change the temperature or baking time or quantity of any of the ingredients? Please advise ASAP! How long does it take to bake?

Im with Lindsey..Just made these bc I was in the mood for CHOCOLATE. They fell in the middle.. they taste more fudgy than cupcake-like.. I followed the recipie perfectly.. guess I missed the mark somewhere

I also had trouble. I followed the recipe perfectly. My first batch sank in the middle and stuck to the cupcake liners, as if it was too greasy, but the tops were burnt. I tried a second batch and they turned out better, but still stuck to the liners with a little bit of sinkage. Any suggestions? They sound like they would be great if i could get them to turn out right.

These cuppys were delicious and to me resembled a lighter brownie. Although they sunk during the baking! The first time I made them I added a chocolate liquer to intensify the flavor but the second time I made them exactly as the recipe said I don’t know what could have gone wrong. But everyone enjoyed them served upside down with banana chocolate spread as the frosting.

Hi,This cupcake looks utterly amazing! I would like to make a version that is safe to mail to my niece and nephews who are away at college. If I don’t frost them, do you think they would be ok with the mousse filling included? Mailing by priority mail ~ so, 2-3 days en route.Thank you and yum!!!!

My husband made these for my birthday and they are AMAZING! He brought out the cupcakes for dessert and they looked cute. I generally am used to a birthday cake, but they were chocolate, which is my favorite so I didn’t think into it. As I bit into the first one, I thought, hmm this is good and cool they are chocolate chips in it. Then I got to the mousse and started to be blown away! He used sea-salted chocolate to make the ganache. When that hit my mouth I was really blown away. I said, “You’ve captured all of my cravings for chocolate into one cupcake!” This is a huge hit and he/we will definitely make them again!

I have been on a quest to find the best recipes I can and this recipe is definitely one of them. I made them for a party and they were gone in a second. As one of my guests put it, “he inhaled it” LOL. I will actually be making them again. Amazing!!

These cupcakes were absoultely fabulous. Took them to work and they were gone with an hour after word spread around the office. My friend calls them “Don’t need no man cupcakes”. Very excited to try out the rest of your recipes on your blog.

I made these cupcakes last night, but without the mousse filling (I’m too scared to attempt!) and they were to die for!!! I will be making another batch of these soon!Thanks! I can only imagine what they would be like if I followed your recipe to a “T”

Sadly… I’ll have to be one of the few to leave a very sad review on the cake part of this cupcake I was so excited to have found what seemed like the perfect chocolate cake recipe to use up the rest of this amazing fresh strawberry buttercream I had leftover from my almond cupcakes… and well, they were the worst I’ve ever tasted. Sunken, crispy on the outside, soggy in the middle, and utterly tasteless (“chocolate? what chocolate?” kind of tasteless). I made three attempts, in two different pans, and still no luck even with time tweaking and such. I wish I knew what the heck happened… boo hoo

I’m so happy I discovered your blog. I’ve used the chocolate malt nougat recipe for some cookies I made last week and they rocked. I love the interesting cupcake combinations you come up with. I’m featuring this recipe on my Chocolate Cake Day blog post today.

Sad to say…I tried all the tricks in the book, but my cupcakes just did not turn out perfect. I’m a perfectionist and my cakes were crunchy on the outside, moist inside, but sunken. Do you have another chocolate cupcake recipe to share that rises with a normal dome?

Misskat – This is the weirdest recipe. Some people swear by it and others can’t get it to work. I’m actually in the process of the developing a more consistent ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe. It may be a little while, but it will definitely be on the blog once it’s been perfected.

Unfortunatly, I have to leave a bad review on this recipe as well. I’m usually lucky with your recipes, Stef, but this time this was a mess. They all sank in the liners and I had to throw a whole batch in the garbage.The firs batch, I figured I had filled them too much (about 2/3), so on the next one I filled them only half way. Both of them were completly useless and horrible. The batter is really yummy so I was anxious to eat them, but that wasn’t possible.I can’t say the problem was my oven or myself, since I followed all your advices on your post about sinking cupcakes. I actually follow them all every time I bake anything.May you please hurry with another recipe for a chocolate cupcake that won’t have these issues for so many people. I’m begging you, hahaha.Thanks for the idea of combining so many types of chocolates into one cupcake!

Just made these last night and today and they are exquisite! I made extra ganache and covered them in it, and they are like truffles. I feel like I’m eating something from a Parisian cafe. Bravo! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks!

Im also sad to say that I made this recipe after having great experiences with several of your other recipes but these cratered on every batch but two. Each time I made sure I did everything the exact same way, so apparently the two times they did turn out was luck. I made sure to follow the tips posted for sinking cupcakes and they still cratered. This recipe is DELICIOUS, i just wish i had better luck with it.

My first batch were very dence and sunk horrible. However I realized that I forgot the eggs. 2nd batch was better, no sinkage but they were just ok. I made the mouse correctly but was surprised that it was not good it tasted like unsweetened coffee. My husband said it was ok but not great and he’s a coffee and chocolate fanatic. I was going to fill the rest of the cupcakes to take to work but was unsure if they sat out that the raw eggs would cause some problems. Do these need to be stored in the fridge?

I love this recipe! my friends too, some of them were literally fight for it ! It turned out great, but i changed the ganache to chocolate creamcheese frosting. but its still amazing LOVED IT!!btw im 16 and i LOVE to bake 😀

I’m not sure what went wrong. I made my 1st batch and they fell into a horrible mess! I figured I had over filled my cups so I mad another batch from scratch. The same thing happened. One by one each cake fell in the middle. The flavor was great but the appearance was terrible. I know it wasn’t my baking soda or powder because the same night I made 4 dozen other cupcakes that came out just fine

I made these and they came out great! I added ground up chocolate chips into the mousse and piped it into the center, Divine! I also didn’t add the chips to the batter, which I think was perfectly fine without for all the people struggling with sunken cupcakes. Next time I’ll try it with a thick frosting. And perhaps tone down the cocoa powder. I thinkI put too much and it came off strong.

I made these recently for a wedding! They were a huge hit just the way they were (without expensive chocolate too. I just don’t have the budget for that) but the wedding party requested that I add mint frosting, so I put the frosting on instead of the ganache and I put dark chocolate and white chocolate shavings on top. Those were amazing! (and good thing I didn’t have to make 300 of them! it was a small wedding with mostly friends and family helping out with the catering, and I made other kinds of cupcakes too)

These were amazing! One coworker told me they were the best cupcake he’s ever had.

I had a slight problem with them sinking in the center because I may have filled them too full, but once you filled them, it didn’t matter. I also live at altitude so my usual fix of more flour, less baking soda, didn’t do the trick as well as usual.

I would recommend letting them set for a while before cutting and filling them. I just let them get mostly cool and the cake is very delicate and fell apart in a lot of cases. The ganache covers up most mistakes though.

I used a store bought mousse mix that I just had to add milk to and beat until stiff and it was wonderful so if you don’t have time to make a homemade one, look for a mix in the grocery baking aisle.

Ganache is my favorite – looks so good, tastes so good, and so easy to make!

This is exactly what happened with me. They rose up over the tops of the muffin tins and stuck everywhere then fell and were almost uncooked in the middle. I thought I had over filled them so tried again with less than 1/2 full and the same thing happened. Wondering if it is the altitude (I’m in Denver) or the non-stick tins I used…batter tasted great. I’m sorry something happened in the baking process…

These are baking in the oven for my stepson’s birthday right now! The batter was perfect and light, and sinfully delicious. Instead of a chocolate mousse I’m making a vanilla bean mousse from http://www.sugarlaws.com/vanilla-bean-mousse

My daughter asked me to make some really chocolaty Cupcakes. So I found this receipe. The question was:”Why do they have this name?” Well, while stirring together the ingedients, my eyes widened and my heart began to beat faster. That was pretty near. I wondered if I made a mistake by recalculating the odd american measurements to metric, but it seems to be right. Another point, the cupcakes double their size while baking. They also double my size after eating. So I get an idea, why so many Americans are overweighted. I suggest to rename those stuff into “Once in a Lifetime”. Anyway: Thanks for it. Hopefully my words doesn’t offend you, I’m just kidding. Those cakes are really great.

I’m having trouble with mine, they keep sinking, they go up and then, they sink!!! Please help me…they taste great, I don’t know if it is a lack of flou, I notice that they only have 3/4 of flour and 1 1/4 of sugar. HELP!!!!!

These are DELISH!!! I made these a couple times last year! Gotta say – you had me from HELLO with the Chocolate!! For St.Pattys Day this year, I made a rendition of Irish CarBomb Cupcakes… and well, these lil chocolate darlings take the cake!!! They are the best tasting chocolate cake I’ve had in a long time! They could be doctored to make the carbomb flavors… but by far, these Better-than-Sex Chocolate cakes are THE BOMB!!! Keep up the great recipes! YUM-YUM!!! ~: )

These cupcakes ARE TO DIE FOR!!! I am a chocolate lover and I am not easily impressed when it comes to chocolate desserts. However, these are VERY IMPRESSIVE. I have baked this recipe once and I am about to use it again. I have saved this recipe for myself for future!!!! Thank you very much.

While these may be tasty cupcakes, the recipe in no way resembles the original “Better than Sex” cake recipe, which has been around for dozens of years. I was quite disappointed when I navigated to this site hoping to find a cupcake version of the famous cake, but instead found that someone had just pirated the name.

I made these twice. The first time was 4 years ago and they were amazing. I tried a second batch last night and had the dreaded crispy,carmelized outsides and sunken, gross centers. I’m thinking it had to do with oven temp. I will re-try and see if I can troubleshoot for the other sinkers.

I’m so sorry that I didn’t get back to you. But, unfortunately the answer is no. You’ll see in the post that the cupcake recipe isn’t mine. So, you’d have to ask the original recipe author. Good luck with the cookbook!